Vintage Hairstyles: Simple Steps for Retro Hair with a Modern Twist
By Emma Sundh, Sarah Wing and Martina Ankarfyr
4/5
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About this ebook
Emma Sundh
Emma Sundh is a freelance journalist, a vintage blogger, and an illustrator. She lives in Sweden.
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Reviews for Vintage Hairstyles
9 ratings2 reviews
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5For real instructions get Lauren Rennels book, not this one.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Good if you'd really like to learn a little history of hair and makeup through the years. I was hoping for more tutorials on the hairstyles, this book has them but they're short and not intricate in detail.
1 person found this helpful
Book preview
Vintage Hairstyles - Emma Sundh
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
INTRODUCTION
Have you dreamed of getting retro hair in a flash? You’ve come to the right place, darling. Welcome to Vintage Hairstyles.
Forget hood dryers and hours of trying to get every little curl in place, which only leads to sore arms. I’ve spent hours perfecting hairstyles using retro techniques, which has inspired me to modernize and simplify the world’s oldest accessory—the hairdo.
Some things have changed for the better since the vintage years. Today, we have access to faster techniques. We have curling irons (that don’t burn your hair off), heat protectants (your hair will thank you), and my personal savior—hair spray. With the help of these innovations—and a few others—creating a vintage hairdo doesn’t take any longer than styling a modern bob cut!
I’ve refined techniques, removed unnecessary steps, and come up with a few tricks of my own that will help you along the way. That’s exactly what this book is about: easy tricks with fabulous results. Naturally, I’ll also share a few old-time goodies like pin curls, finger waves, and rolls, which I treat exactly the way people did back in the day.
In making this book, I handpicked a few of my salon clients to show you that anyone can create these styles. You don’t need a contract with Warner Brothers to enhance your great looks and become a femme fatale from the ’40s, a bombshell from the ’50s, or a vixen from the ’60s. Find the inspiration in this book to create the style you’ve always dreamed of or to fine-tune the great look you already have.
Soon, you’ll master all the tricks and techniques you need to vary your look and become your best you. The possibilities are endless.
A motto I’ve always cherished (and which was especially true in the 1940s) is: Great hair does wonders for any outfit. Learn to work your hair and you’ve got an eye-catching accessory free of charge. Wear the same dress and switch up your hair and you’ve got a whole new outfit!
I find inspiration for hairstyles everywhere—in old pictures of glamorous actresses and in albums found at flea markets featuring everyday girls. The feminine appeal of billowing curls and the magnificence of an artistic party updo is a visual treat, inspiring my own creativity. There’s always a new shape or style to be discovered around the corner.
I have been styling hair for ten years now, and my business has always been about inspiration and innovation. In my opinion, you’re free to mix new and old to create a personal style that’s all your own.
Have fun curling, pinning, and rolling!
Hairstyle History
HISTORY CAN BE RETOLD THROUGH HAIR SALON VISITS.
THE 1910S SAW THE BIRTH OF THE BOB CUT, THE WARTIME
’40S INCLUDED LIPS PAINTED RED, AND THE REBELLIOUS ’60S
WELCOMED THE PONYTAIL. SUPERFICIAL? FAR FROM IT.
A HAIRCUT CAN SPARK A WOMAN’S EMANCIPATION
JUST AS IT CAN EXPRESS POLITICS, ECONOMICS, AND
WOMEN’S ISSUES. HAIRSTYLES MAKE HEADLINES—
AND DID SO FROM THE 1910S TO THE 1960S.
THE 1910s
At the dawn of the twentieth century, at the very height of industrialization, things began to change. Scissors were sharpened and long hair was cut off. Until this time, hair had been gathered into large pompadours. The common practice for women had been to simply let the hair grow . . . grow . . . and grow some more. As a rule, women didn’t cut their hair at all during the 1910s. There were no hair salons for women; the only thing that even came close were men’s barbershops, but no women went there, since the barbershop was an exclusively male territory. Here, beards were cut and shaved with knives and the expertly waxed dandy mustaches were styled with care, at least the beards and mustaches of those who could afford it.
The emerging newly industrial society was anything but equal. Gaps between classes were huge and poverty was widespread. The outbreak of World War I in 1914 didn’t help the situation. Fashion and hairstyles distinguished the rich from the poor, especially in wartime, when importing goods like fabrics and hats became difficult.
THE BIGGER THE BETTER
In the 1910s, women wore their long hair in a bun or a chignon. Wearing your hair down was simply not done, unless you were a child. In true Edwardian spirit, the hair would be elegantly rolled up with lots of volume. Curling irons were heated by leaving them on the stove. To ensure the iron wasn’t so hot it burned the hair off, women would hold a small piece of paper to the iron to test it. Clever—and frighteningly hazardous.
Once the updo was set, tiny wisps of hair were curled to showcase class and style. The pompous hairstyles stayed in place with U-shaped bobby pins and a tried-and-true technique—working with unwashed hair. This old hairstyle trick still works well today.
Women then crowned their voluminous hairstyles with hats.
The general rule was that the bigger, more lavish, and more extraordinary the hat, the higher the woman’s status. The brims were enormous and decorated with extravagant creations, featuring feathers, plumes, and silk flowers.
Fashion was just as severe as the hair buns, and very, very feminine. The silhouette was shaped like a curvy S, and buttons adorned virtually every garment. Hems reached just above the ankle. Sleeves were long (at the very least ³/4-length) and corsets—which would soon be forgone—squeezed tight while collars reached high. Those who could afford them wore lace collars. A few years into the 1910s, collars became unbuttoned and less chaste, leaving room for new influences. Empire cuts, draped décolletages in delicate materials, bold patterns, and something as groundbreaking as color set the new fashion agenda. Inspiration came from East Asia. This elegant fashion spread like wildfire through the new ways of consumption. Department stores were a novelty. There, hats and scarves joined the company of something very new and bold: glass counters displaying cosmetics. Makeup itself was nothing new, but to sell it this openly—without the secretiveness that marked previous decades—was completely revolutionary. The prevalent all-natural beauty ideal forced women to apply makeup with great discretion. Both powder and blush were widely used, but in moderation. And in secret.
THE LAST DAYS OF CORSETS
At this time, the king of fashion, Paul Poiret, made his grand entrance. He made no secret of the fact that he was heavily influenced by East Asia and the Russian ballet company Les Ballets Russes. Slowly but surely, he liberated women from their corsets by introducing a tight skirt that became wildly popular. Paul Poiret is considered the first modern fashion designer. And though undergarments continued to be reminiscent of a suit of armor, Paul Poiret was among the first to bring his liberating fashion